


Taken to the Dark Side

by Mistoria



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Reylo - Freeform, Star Wars - Freeform, Taken, badass woman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 06:04:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14278467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistoria/pseuds/Mistoria
Summary: Following the events of The Last Jedi, the resistance is in pieces and the first order is nowhere to be found. For the first time in Rey's life she has freedom and a ship to explore. Things are going well (well-ish), until someone she thought she'd closed out of her head forever decided he's not quite finished with her.





	Taken to the Dark Side

Images of white and red were painted everywhere around Rey. Of black boots and a black robe, gently rolling with the waves of the wind. The flat, white landscape was met at the distant horizon with the endless sky Rey knew to be filled with more than her own mind could ever imagine, but before that, there was him. His deep brown eyes were glazed over with a shiny layer of what? Tears? Hate? Betrayal? 

Hurt? 

No. She couldn’t think like that, couldn’t let his manipulations break through her barriers. He was a monster. It was with those very eyes that he looked Hans in the eye as he’d murdered him. It was with those eyes that he’d witnessed so much anguish and horror at his own hands. She wouldn’t think like that, because any sign of Ben Solo was gone. She hadn’t closed the door on him: he’d closed the door on her, when he tried to kill Luke. 

Wait. Where was everyone? A slick, cold hand suddenly found its way into Rey’s chest, and gently wrapped itself round her heart, sending frost through her veins. She was alone with him. He stood, still staring at her she realised, with those eyes, not saying anything, not blinking or moving. Just staring. He was about 100 feet away, he couldn’t harm her, yet the grip of the icy hand slowly tightened more and more. Where had everyone gone? Where were Finn and Poe? _Why won’t he stop staring, and why aren’t I running?_

A small smile started to form at the corners of his mouth, as the light breeze made his dark hair wave softly around his hard face. His lips started to form words, gently wrapping themselves around a meaning she couldn’t understand. She tried to ask him what he’d said, what was going on. But she couldn’t. She remained firmly where she was, the feathery weight of frost lightly pricking her skin, smoothly tickling the pit of her stomach, freezing her with nothing other than the promise of numbness. His lips moved again. His smile grew bigger. His eyes continued to shine with – 

What?

The answer poured up Rey’s spine, leaving a trail of goose bumps. The hand tightened its grip.

It wasn’t hate or anger: it was anticipation. He was waiting for something - something that made him smile. 

Rey closed her eyes, the fiery lick of fear breathing through her, crackling against the brittle frost, and leaving her ready to shatter. If something was making _him_ smile, it certainly wouldn’t make her smile. But she could face this, whatever it was. She’d done it before. He had weaknesses, ones he hadn’t shown to anyone else. She could use that. _I have to warn the resistance._ The thought galloped through Rey’s mind, as a warm ember of hope settled deep within her. If he was planning something, they needed to be ready. They _would_ be ready. But just as Rey was about to pull the floating whispers of hope into a whole, another thought sliced through her mind.

**Open your eyes.**

Only she hadn’t thought it. 

He had.

She made no move to open her eyes, as her breathing became more panicked. 

**Rey, open your eyes.**

This time, the idea sharply needled into her consciousness from all angles, and all of a sudden she felt her eyes fly open, the vast whiteness slamming into her eyes, leaving them aching with the brightness. The barrage of light quickly dimmed into a coherent blur, and then focused. The white salty plane was now empty, the horizon now free to endlessly chase the glistening heavens.

He was gone. 

But in his absence, decorating the terrain in front of Rey sat angry red slashes that loudly bled into her eyes. Rey quickly realised the slashes were meant to form words – a message:

I’M COMING FOR YOU. 

With a gasp Rey sat bolt upright in her chair, the fog of dream slowly drifting away. She was sitting at the controls of her ship, the one the Resistance had given her after they’d escaped the white planet. With the first order all but disappeared, and a distinct lack of resources and recruits, they’d come to the decision to split up, and come together again in 6 months at a disclosed location. At first, Rey had thought it was crazy. Split up? Right after they’d managed to escape? Ridiculous. Absurd. But Poe and Leah had eventually convinced her that the only way they would be able to have a chance of victory was if they licked their wounds, and came together stronger than before. With the First Order similarly going to ground, it hadn’t seemed so crazy. 

Unfortunately, since Rey had elected to go off by herself, wanted some solitude after the events of the past few months, that particular nightmare had been plaguing her. Her first move had been to build a wall around her mind so strong even Kylo couldn’t break through. Although it had mostly proved unnecessary, since she hadn’t felt his mind pressing against her barriers at all. _Until now._ The dream hadn’t ever ended like that. _What was that?_ ‘I’m coming for you’ it had said. Goosebumps prickled along Rey’s arm as the red words played themselves on repeat over the back of her eyelids. 

Could it just be that being alone for so long had left her over paranoid? He couldn’t have gotten through to her, could he? Surely she would have felt him pressing against her barriers. But nothing. _Unless he found a back door._ He had been doing this a lot longer than Rey. 

No. She buried the thought deep down. There was no way. Unless – 

No. No more thinking about it. None. 

As Rey stretched the knots out of her neck and back that came with napping in a chair, she made a snap decision: it had to be nothing - a product of her exhausted mental state after what had happened over the last couple of months. 

With a sigh Rey changed the course of the ship to cruising, and flicked it back onto autopilot. She’d been planning to visit a planet on the edges of the Milky Way, far from everyone – peaceful, but still feeling slightly shaken and exhausted, she was in no mood to land on an unknown planet. With everything in order, she stiffly stood and walked to her room. ‘Room’ was probably a bit generous. It was more of a ‘pod’ situation she had going. 

The ship Rey had been given was small, which she certainly was happy to embraced. Most of the space was taken up by tools and machinery she was working on, and then the controls at the front took up a lot of space too. That left a sleeping area low on her list. Her bed was comfy enough, and every time she landed on a new planet she was visiting, she made a point to find somewhere to stay other than her ship. 

The first planet she’d attempted to land on had been a disaster. She remembered vividly that seeing its rough surface with a dusty brown colour combined with a lack of clouds had reminded her of Jakku. It had been close enough to the Star at the centre of its solar system that it wouldn’t be too hot for her, and her ship had detected it to have a breathable atmosphere. So, with the weight of nostalgia for her old home gently pressing on her chest, she’d carefully descended to the surface of the planet. 

She’d been right at first. Sweeping desert was all she could see, with a bright blue sky filled with a shining red sun. It hadn’t been quite as warm a Jakku, she remembered, but it had still been nice to feel the heat on her face, and the rough feel of sand that had been caught in the wind over her skin. Seemingly uninhabited, Rey had decided to wonder a bit. 

Bad move.

Well, landing in the first place had been a bad move. 

Rey’s feet had been sinking into the silky dust, one after the other. Only the sound of the wind gently caressing the sand like silk flapping in the wind had played through her ears. Some people would have called it barren, dry and lifeless. Not Rey. The landscape she’d once resented now calmed her, stilled the thoughts constantly galloping through her head. The burning Sun pouring its heat over her and everything else had felt like she was walking through hot caramel, and the bright purple of the blue sky mixed with the red Sun had been a dramatic contrast with the light brown sand. It had been peaceful, and the first time Rey had felt relaxed in a long time. 

That was, until it all went wrong. Having lazily walked her way through the thick air for around 10 minutes, of course making sure the ship had been in sight, Rey started feeling a lot heavier. Maybe the Sun was getting to her, she’d thought, and had begun to start walking back. That was when the heavy feeling had struck her again, only this time, only on her left leg. She’d looked down, confused, and that’s when she saw it. A kangaroo-like creature the size of a baby duck had been clinging onto the edge of her shoe, looking up at her with huge red eyes. 

Rey had gasped and started trying to shake it off her, only to realise there wasn’t only one. There must have been five or six of them, staring at her unerringly as she frantically shook her left leg. Then she’d felt it again – that heavy sensation tugging on her right leg this time. She’d desperately run to the top of the dune, almost in sight of her ship when they started clawing their way up her legs. Sharp spikes of pain had needled through her as their tiny claws used her flesh as a climbing frame. _What_ exactly they were going to do once they reached the top of her legs had been what propelled Rey forward, despite the sharp stings. 

Each step had become harder and harder to take as she’d felt small droplets of blood trickling down her legs, and the high pitched squeal of her attackers. _So they wanted blood?_ Of course they did. The one planet Rey had come to for some peace and it’s inhabited by blood sucking baby kangaroos. Great. Just great. Biting back a gasp, Rey had struggled to fight her way to her ship as the pain intensified. If she could just make it to her ship, she’d thought, she could get her light sabre, and get these crazy things off. Her mind had instinctively tried to access the force, to just hold out her hand and tug it towards her. Simple. But she couldn’t. If she did, those walls she’d spent days building would come crumbling down, and he would come barrelling into her mind. 

Rey had begun to crawl, the sharp pain becoming too intense, combined with the feel of the hot sand on her hands. Gritting her teeth, she’d pushed through. Nearly there, nearly there, nearly there. Finally, she’d reached the edge of her ship, hauling her body through the door and reaching for her light sabre. With a cry of joy, she’d snatched it, flipped onto her back and hit the creatures of her legs. Squeals of high pitched anguish filled her ears as they’d leapt off her legs and buried themselves back under the sand. So that’s how they sneaked up on her, she’d thought. They lived under the sand. Before they could change their minds, Rey had slammed the door shut and took off without looking back.  
Needless to say, it wasn’t a memory she’d be saving for the scrapbook anytime soon. After that, with the odd mishap, things were going pretty well. Rey was getting the alone time she craved, and getting away from the events of the past. _Until that dream._ Pushing that thought away, Rey sighed and wrapped her blankets tighter around her, closing her eyes. She easily sank into the dark comfort of sleep, but not before those red words danced around her mind once more. 

*

Following the first blissfully dreamless night Rey had had in a long time, she woke even more determined that the incident in her dream had been nothing. Having had some time to process it, she’d realised that she would surely have felt _something_ if he was in her mind again. When she’d been training with Luke, she always felt this buzz – almost like the air was charged with electricity – but she hadn’t felt anything of the sort. To be sure she subtly poked the thick barriers around her subconscious, and, to her relief, there were no cracks. 

Feeling infinitely better, Rey swung her legs onto the ground and set to work setting the controls for her ship towards the edge of the Milky Way. She’d found one or two planets that fit what she was looking for. But just as she was about to make her way towards the controls, Rey jumped back at the image of red streaks covering the window at the front of the ship. 

NOT LONG NOW. 

Everything slowed down. Rey felt her legs crumpling from beneath her, and distantly heard someone screaming. _Me,_ she thought. _I’m screaming._ She was dreaming. She had to be. Harshly pinching her skin again and again, Rey squeezed her eyes shut. _Not real not real not real._ And when she opened them, the writing was gone. Still breathing deeply Rey’s head spun in circles. There had been writing there. She wasn’t dreaming. She remained slumped against the cold metal wall of the ship, her legs folded beneath her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think. But she couldn’t stop thinking. 

_What was that?_

_How?_

_He’s in my head – he has to be._

_Why can’t I feel him?_

But one thought spoke louder than all the others. 

_When?_

First he’d said he was coming for her, and then he’d said it would be soon. Taking deep breaths, Rey shakily lifted herself to her feet. She felt somehow distant from everything. The part of her that was terrified now locked up and buried in the depths of her mind. Logic had taken over, and it was moving her towards the controls of her ship. He was coming. She had to get away. Changing course for somewhere outside the Milky Way, a determined feeling settled itself into Rey’s bones. He wouldn’t find her. She was stronger than this. Stronger than _him._

But again, just as Rey had pulled herself together, she noticed a message flashing across her navigation system, which was odd since she’d been in contact with the Resistance recently. Apprehensively opening it, Rey gasped when she read it:

**There’s no point running. I’ll find you anyway.**

It was real. Definitely real. The message quickly blinked away before Rey could track its origin. Creasing her brow, Rey pushed the controls further than before. He wouldn’t find her. No way. She wasn’t sure where she was going, or where she should be running to. Setting the ship on autopilot, Rey quickly started typing out a message to the Resistance. If she did get caught, she needed to warn them. The First Order could have a bigger plan, which kidnapping her was somehow necessary for - with Luke gone, she was a useful asset, after all. But before she could begin typing, another message flashed on the screen, before all her controls flickered into darkness. 

**I already told you there’s not point running. Now I’m going to have to chase you faster.**

Rey started frantically pressing at any buttons, twisting all the dials, but nothing. With a frustrated shout, Rey slammed her hands on the control panel. Why now? Why her? He just wouldn’t give up. 

“ARGHHHHHHHHH” Rey angrily rand her hands through her hair, tugging out any bobbles making it stick up in all sorts of directions. He just… he just couldn’t give up. Leave. Stop. Pent up frustration surged through Rey, vibrating through her bones and making her lash out. There was no longer compartmentalised emotions, neatly lined up in her brain, there was just a raging sea of anger and pain. Rey grabbed at her tools, launching it across the ship, smashing her equipment, hitting anything. _Why why why?_ Using the force, Rey’s light sabre flew into her hand, which she shoved into her belt, along with any knives and tools that could pass as weapons. 

Rey hadn’t come expecting to need any of this stuff, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t ready for Kylo. She wasn’t so delusional she thought she would bring down the whole first order, but with adrenaline still burning through her veins, Rey knew she _would not_ go down without a fight. 

Another message flashed on the otherwise dark control board, the light taunting its way into Rey’s blurred vision. Now breathing quickly from her burst of anger, Rey blinked away her tears of frustration and tentatively walked over to the message. 

**Stop throwing things. You’ll hurt yourself.**

Could he see her? How else would he know all that stuff? How long had he been watching her? Feeling trapped and angry and defeated and frustrated, Rey started trying to make a plan – anything – when another message appeared. 

**Not long now.**

That had the effect of spurring Rey on. Gathering all the scattered tools and equipment, Rey set to fixing the control panel. It had been working fine before, so he must have somehow accessed the system remotely and switched it off, or short circuited it. At the very least she should be able to get a message through to the Resistance _somehow_ \- even if she had to go old school. But just as she was about to set to work, the distant thrum of engines reached Rey’s ears. Rushing to the window, she searched the open space around her ship, but couldn’t see anything. The thrumming continued, making Rey rush to fix the control panel with shaky hands, searching for an issue. But there wasn’t one to be found. Everything should have been working perfectly, except for the fact that it wasn’t. 

**You should be careful when you build walls and shut doors, because you might just end up trapped with the very thing you tried to shut out.**

Rey froze. It was him, in her head. But he hadn’t broken through her barriers, she couldn’t even feel his presence, he was just there. Had he been there this whole time? 

**Clever girl.**

His voice gently settled into her thoughts, any other thoughts blurring into the background. Blocking out the sound of her elevated heart beat banging in Rey’s ears; she quickly squeezed her eyes shut. Digging deep into her subconscious, she gently pushed outwards, pressing against the walls she’d built. They wouldn’t budge. Panicked, she started pushing with all her might, banging trying to create cracks. Nothing, except for the distant echo of Kylo’s deep laugh taunting her. 

She didn’t understand, her defence was strong, he shouldn’t have been able to break through, and why couldn’t she hear his thoughts, feel his emotions? 

**I’ll explain everything when I collect you, for now you need to calm down.**

His message had the opposite effect. Shaking all over, unable to move, but wanting to run, Rey tried to scream into her empty, dark ship, “Just leave me alone”, but it came out as more of a shaky whisper. The thrum of the ship was becoming louder in Rey’s ears, and she was working faster and faster trying to fix her ship. But it was no use – nothing was working. In another fit of rage, Rey through her wrench and anything she could get her hands on against the walls of her ship. Letting out all her frustration and anger, she started firstly slamming the palm of her hand into the wall, giving her a satisfying sting. _Why?_ Smack! _Why?_ Smack! _Why?_ When that ceased to be effective, she started punching it, feeling the bones of her hand vibrating with an aching pain, and the skin on her knuckles breaking. In the back of her mind, she knew this was pointless, and that she should probably keep her strength for when Kylo and his crew came, but she couldn’t stop. The pain was grounding her, keeping her present. 

**Stop it, Rey. Don’t force me to make you stop.**

What was that supposed to mean? He wasn’t in charge of her. He couldn’t take her and control her. He would never. All he had were his words and his arrogant, evil mind. With more anger than before, Rey punched the wall harder, and small dent in the thick metal beginning to form. A dull pain was snaking its way up Rey’s arm, but she knew if she stopped, it would be what he wanted. 

**I’m warning you, stop it now. You won’t like the consequences.**

Yeah? Well, _smack!_ It’s _smack!_ Not, _smack!_ Your, _smack!_ CHOICE! _Smack!_ Distantly Rey knew the thrumming was growing louder and louder, and that she should stop, and be preparing for attack. But she couldn’t. She almost thought she felt a disappointed sigh from Kylo in her head. 

**Ok. Have it your way, but this was your choice – I warned you.**

Warned her? Whatever. He didn’t get to do anything to her. But just as the feeling of defiance thrummed through her, Rey felt a dark fog descending over her vision, and clouds beginning to clog her thoughts. _What’s going on?_ Rey barely had time to finish the thought before she smacked against the floor and was mercifully enveloped by the dark folds of sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever post, so I hope you all enjoyed it! It's been something I've wanted to write about for a while, and I do intend to continue with this story line (don't worry, I know what it's like to be waiting forever for the next bit), despite not putting a chapter limit. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment :)
> 
> -Mistoria


End file.
